Engineering & Process

Collaboration In Motion

We believe that customer collaboration should be at the outset of every project and continue throughout its duration. Having open communication with our customers and mutually creating a clear vision for a project generates positive results.

This collaborative approach is present during the engineering and design phase, where we work closely with you through the part-review and design in each step of the production process.

During the technical aspect of this phase, we utilize PTC Pro/Engineer CREO, a powerful tool that helps us design the most complex of mold assemblies– core, cavity, and moldbase – all in one package. Pro Engineer 3D eliminates data translation between part design, moulde design, and NC tool path creation. This engineering and design system reduces the need for redesigns through automatic updating of tooling models, drawings, and electrodes.

We follow a more straightforward, process-oriented workflow, which results in dramatically faster tool design time. You will be informed of the progression of your project throughout the entire process.

Striving to Exceed Expectations

Our process is designed to ensure that our clients are well informed. From the initial quote to the completion of your project, you will receive constant communication from our team so that you are aware and are confident with the progress of your project.

1. Request For Quote

The process begins with your quote request. Once requested, our team will evaluate the data and tooling requirements supplied, and develop a tooling proposal to meet your project needs.

By using the tooling proposal, both the customer and M&M Tool can start the tool build process on common ground.

Once a decision to award a project to M&M Tool is made, three items are required to get us off and running.

A solid part model

The material shrinkage value

A purchase order

2. Design Outline

We start the design process by developing a redline document to share with the customer. This document restates the information we have from the quote process, identifies any information we are missing, and provides a rough pictorial layout of the tool, and parting lines on the part. By combining all of this data onto a single sheet, we aim to eliminate missed requirements, and avoid false starts in the design process.

3. Design Begins

Once the approved redline is received back from the customer, the formal design process begins, and a 3D printed part is created for better part visualization. In this stage, there may be discussion between the customer’s team, and the M&M Tool design team to work through part issues like thin, or knife edge steel conditions to provide the most robust tool possible. These areas are normally handled through online collaboration. As the design progresses to where the mold is taking shape, we hold our first internal preliminary design review with the toolmaking team assigned to build the tool. Once the team is satisfied with the design internally, a preliminary design review is held with the customer’s team. Any changes identified in the preliminary review will be incorporated into the final design of the tool. A final design review is also held between the customer’s team, and the M&M team.

4. Production

Now is when our customers vision begins to take shape. All of our shop personnel who are working on any portion of your tool have the ability to look at the 3D part data for the piece of the mold that they are working on. Be it to check a dimension, or to get a better visualization of the finished part.

As our machinists begin roughing in the steel, our design team starts on the required electrodes, and finish machining programming work starts. Once the electrodes are designed, the programming and machining of the electrodes can begin. This is done so that when the blocks are ready to be EDM burned, all the required electrodes are already staged.

To keep projects on time, and on budget, we have developed internal reports that are available to the engineering team as well as the toolmaking team. This dashboard allows a quick glance at the amount of time remaining, hours charged, and dollars spent on any job.

5. Progress Reports

As a customer, M&M Tool will provide your team with tool build progress reports to meet your requirements. These reports show the path of your tool through the shop with a percentage of completion on the tasks.

What happens when things don’t go according to plan? Let’s face it, with the number of components in the average tool sometimes there is a mistake. If this should happen, the team at M&M tool is committed to informing the customer as soon as it is identified. This conversation will not only inform the customer as to what happened, but offer potential solutions to correct the mistake.

6. Tool Completion Report

Once tool build is complete, the toolmaker fills out an internal Tool Completion Report. Digital photographs of the parting line surfaces of the tool are also taken and stored with the design information. If your company has its own tool completion report, we will be happy to complete that as well.

7. Inspection

Prior to preparing the tool for shipping, a senior toolmaker who was not involved with the build and a member of the engineering team preform a second visual and functional inspection of the tool.

8. Shipping

Tool is prepared for shipping

The following data is provided with tool on CD or memory stick:

Step and/or native design files

PDF file of detail drawings

Hard copy of Tool Completion Report(s)

9. Post Build Review

Even after the tool has left our facility, we are not done. A post build review is held with toolmakers, project engineering, and estimating to make sure that we learn the lessons provided from building the tool. Identifying areas where we did well, and those that we could have been better at.

Using this continuous improvement feedback, we strive to be even better at being able to provide our customers exactly what they want, when they want it, for the price they want in the future.

Explain Your Vision. We Take A Collaborative Approach

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Experienced Tool Makers

Our team of highly-skilled technicians have hundreds of combined years in the industry.

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Committment To Quality

Established professional standards to guarantee we are exceeding our customers expectations.